Many people have made a very successful career from promoting affiliate products and services. In this post, we’ll cover some of the best affiliate marketing success stories that will help you get started on the right foot!

What is this affiliate marketing anyway?

Affiliate marketing is a process where affiliates generate traffic or sales leads which are converted into a sale. The affiliate marketer will usually have a website with links to other vendors’ products and services. When visitors click through to those links and purchase the product, the affiliate marketer earns a commission on that sale.

Affiliate marketing is related to referral marketing in that it entails generating traffic or sales leads for another business, but the difference is how much work and involvement affiliates need to put into this strategy compared with standard online selling practices. Affiliates can use paid advertising campaigns such as Google Adwords or Yahoo Search Marketing, purchase email lists, create blogs, pay for post-click advertisements on social media sites like Facebook and Pinterest or simply send electronic mail messages containing promotional links at no cost. In addition, there are multiple ways of measuring success: number of clicks earned through advertisement banners; having visitors sign up one’s own phone number link (which counts as both a click and potential sales lead), or get paid for every product purchased by the visitor.

The beginner’s dilemma

“Can you make money with affiliate marketing?” is the first question every new affiliate I’ve ever met asks.
YES, and as you will see in these success stories, not only is it feasible to earn money as an affiliate but doing so may also be extremely lucrative. These remarkable affiliate marketers have accomplished amazing things in their own unique ways.
Let’s get this party started!

1. TripAdvisor

One of the most successful examples in affiliate marketing, no doubt. Most folks are unaware that TripAdvisor is an affiliate marketing company. That’s how wonderful they are.
They’ve established themselves as the most popular destination for travellers to learn about local cuisine, hotels, and other activities in different cities throughout the world. They get their revenue from travel businesses and selling high-quality leads. They could be a bigger name than those mentioned above, but they are an excellent example of affiliate marketing done correctly.

2. Ilir Salihi – $2,000 From One Affiliate Sale- Blogger, FreedomRep.com

My first niche site was a financial blog that promoted alternative investments. I started producing in-depth, evergreen content with the goal of ranking in search results (and did so eventually). It took some time to earn commissions, but I persisted. After about six months of blogging, it earned an affiliate sale for approximately $2,000. It simply amazed me.
I only had a few minor victories with low ticket items, so netting $2,000 from one affiliate sale nearly knocked me over. This was when I realized that affiliate marketing needed my full attention. The blog earned another commission in the following month – again exceeding $2,000. This was when I realized that affiliate marketing is something I must consider very carefully.
Some tips if you’re just getting started:
Look for high-paying affiliate programs: find products that you know, like, and trust that pays at least a few hundred dollars in commission on each sale. It’s a lot easier to make money if you’re making $200 sales than if you’re making just a few dollars.
Post evergreen content; this is material with continuing search interest over time. Today, publish a video or article, and it may continue to generate income for years to come.
It’s tempting to write for the purpose of increasing your authority, but if you want to succeed as an affiliate, consider achieving expertise in your field.

3. Darren Rowse – Founder, ProBlogger.net

At AffiliateProblogger.com, affiliate marketers can learn from and test various methods in order to make money. He’s been an affiliate marketer for a long time — since the early 2000s — and he’s made a decent living out of it. He has earned over £550,000 so far and focuses his efforts on Amazon items. By merely running a few websites, he had risen to become one of the leading authorities in affiliate marketing while also becoming a fantastic success story that may inspire others.

4. David Sandy – First $1,000 Online With SEO – Digital Marketer, DavidSandyOfficial.com

It took me 9 months to try various business ideas before I finally discovered blogging and affiliate marketing. I’d discovered something I liked about blogging that connected to my talents, which you should keep an eye out for when starting your own business… So began my career as an online writer.
I took no SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or blogging classes, but instead simply produced content for the world. There were a lot of self-doubts, but after 6 months and 50 blog entries later, I had finally earned my first $1,000 online through organic traffic from Google. Since then, my visitors and revenue have been growing steadily as I continue to focus on expanding my blog.
The key is to set aside all distractions and focus on growing what’s working. Take regular action, share your findings, and assist others in the process. The end result will be a flourishing and developing internet business that you’ll be proud to own.”

5. MICHELLE, Owner – MAKING SENSE OF CENTS

Michelle is the author behind Making Sense of Cents, which she established around 2010/2011. She started blogging as a way to better manage her money. When she graduated with her Master’s degree, she owed over $38,000 in student loan debt and was committed to paying it off quickly so that others may do the same!
Michelle is now making an average of $159,000+ per MONTH blogging!

6. PAT FLYNN – SMART PASSIVE INCOME

Pat Flynn is a well-known blogger, podcaster, author, and business coach. He’s been around for quite a while, so you’ve probably heard of the Smart Passive Income podcast or his books “Will it Fly” and “Let Go”.
He made money from affiliate marketing and different products built by him. Now he is a very prominent figure in helping people make money online in the most ethical way.

7. Khris Steven – Blogging & SEO Affiliate – Owner, KhrisDigital.com

After spending nearly a year attempting to make it online without success, I began my journey in the affiliate marketing industry in mid-2018. It took me about six months to earn my first commission of $4.5 by selling a social media software as an affiliate. Even though I’d had a blog since January 2018 – and even though I was still learning how to improve my copywriting and SEO abilities – getting good results from it was difficult.

I made the decision to start advertising ClickFunnels at the end of 2018. After seeing all of the success stories that people were having with the software. Why can’t I do it, too? I decided to invest everything in and focus on producing content about ClickFunnels. That was when everything fell into place.

Since then, it’s not been so terrible. I’ve had good months with $3k and bad months with a few 100s as an affiliate. But what I’ve discovered while doing this job is that no matter how little effort I put in, it’s never a waste. The results might be late, unpleasant, or not even come true, but over time they accumulate.

I’m fantastic at producing content in the form of text (Blogging) since I don’t consider myself a video person. You could be good on camera but not a good writer, so go with that and help others by creating video material. Simply do your thing and never try to force yourself into things you aren’t comfortable with. Keep in mind that this is a business dedicated to providing solutions to people’s issues, so if you can figure out how to assist them during difficult times, making money online will be a breeze.

8. Chris Fong – ClickFunnels Dream Car Winner -Owner, SmartBusinessTrends.com

My greatest ClickFunnels success story is being named a winner of the ClickFunnels Dream Car award. This is given to individuals who have 100 or more active ClickFunnels affiliates. It took time for me to see results, though. I’d been advertising ClickFunnels for a few years and had yet to achieve any success with my blog. Even though I was getting traffic to my Click Funnels review post, it wasn’t converting at all. As a result of these two factors, things changed dramatically for me personally.

various groups where I knew the ClickFunnels community hung out. Beginning, I interacted with other like-minded marketers and formed connections. This led to forming partnerships in which I was able to find out about and invest in some great white-label items over time.

The second thing that really helped me, which was creating the most valuable bonus package feasible to promote ClickFunnels, was caused by the first. This is especially true for ClickFunnels since it’s a big investment for many individuals. I mixed in bonuses I created myself with some of the white label goods I invested in. To create a truly beneficial ClickFunnels bonus package that would encourage people to take the trial and continue using it long term, I added my own personal coaching.

Although it took a long time to fine-tune and test my offer in order to figure out what worked, once I did, the number of ClickFunnels affiliates under me began to rise. Bonuses do work. You should include them with every affiliate deal you promote, no matter what. However, make sure that each bonus you offer is connected to your core product in some way. Make sure that all the extras you’re giving aren’t irrelevant. Everything you have to offer must aid the customer in some manner.

9. Jon Davis – $2,000 Commissions – Digital Introvert, Jon100.com

It’s safe to say that I started out slowly with affiliate marketing. At a snail’s pace, I shot off the line. I wanted to master EVERYTHING there was to know for free. From group to forum, he bounced around, adding up the biggest “Watch Later” list YouTube has ever seen.

I was in the habit of creating a blog, designing logos, installing plugins, growing weary, and then deleting it.

I didn’t know what I was doing, so I just started. This combination of Russell Brunson’s basic and encouraging marketing methods with a 7-figure affiliate mentor. It compelled me to act and push my limits, eventually facing my phobias. As I gained momentum, I saw results: $1, $100, $500, and finally $2,000 worth of sales.

I discovered two critical things:

1. You should share your experience, even if you’re a relative novice.
2. You must have faith in yourself that you will succeed.
   I’ve always struggled with self-confidence as an introvert and overthinker. Always ready to “try,” but never convinced I have what it takes. My wife forced me to take a leap of faith in January 2020 and invest in myself. I was worried she would be disappointed if I didn’t deliver. I didn’t believe I was capable of achieving, but she believed in me regardless – she had total confidence in me.

I followed the instructions, asked questions, and learned to ask for assistance when I needed it.

My biggest sales to date have come from individuals in my network for a long time. I didn’t pitch them. All I did was share my story. “Jon, your post made me cry…” she wrote to me. Not the intended outcome, but her reasoning intrigued me. She requested additional information and purchased it right away. Everything went well!

The nice thing about affiliate marketing is that it’s spectacular, and when you connect with folks and watch how pleased their purchase makes them, it’s without a doubt the greatest form of monetization.

10. Nate McCallister – Amazon FBA Turned Affiliate Marketing Success – Owner, EntreResource.com

Although my speciality is internet marketing, my main interest has always been selling on Amazon FBA. I’ve had success with a number of affiliate programs for things like software and services in that area, but my most fascinating affiliate success tale is how I got my own vehicle through Clickfunnels.

I wanted to win the Dream Car as an affiliate marketer, and I thought it was a good goal. Although I didn’t need a automobile, I desired the recognition. It took me less than two weeks to accomplish it and acquire over 100 referrals (my peak was 120).

I achieved it by reaching out to my existing audience of Amazon FBA sellers and advertising Clickfunnels to them in a manner that I was sure would appeal to them. They were not simply Amazon vendors at the core; they were entrepreneurs, and Clickfunnels is one of the tools that may assist them in numerous ways.

So, I established a private 90-day group. To join, you had to buy Clickfunnels through my affiliate link. I don’t provide one-on-one coaching so this was their only opportunity to work with me in great depth. For 14 days, I utilized scarcity and kept the program registration open. The rest is history.

My two big takeaways from this are…

Use incentives in your offers to make them more appealing. Get innovative and differentiate yourself from the competition.
Develop new niches for your products. It appears that the majority of Clickfunnels affiliates are in the same niche and must compete against one another head to head. I left my comfort zone and sold to a new demographic that most people would overlook.

11. Dylan Gordon – Big Wins With High Ticket Affiliate Programs – Founder, HustlerSource.com

I tried many different internet companies, such as MLM and Dropshipping, before I discovered ClickFunnels. They weren’t satisfying, didn’t last, and weren’t even fun to work on. One day while I was still dabbling around, I came across a product called ClickFunnels. I’d seen comparable items and attempted selling them with “business-in-a-box” or “done-for-you” platforms in the past; however, they had failed. Instead of providing value and utilizing warm/hot traffic sources that provide real results, I was attempting to generate money fast using methods that just didn’t work.

At first, I began by checking out the competition and seeing what they were doing. Then I started learning about ClickFunnels’ features to figure out if it was something for me. It took a few months before anything happened, but then one day I found a tiny little site that was making more than I was earning from my 9-5! That’s when I got hooked. After investing all of my efforts into one website and producing endless content, sales began to come. In my sixth month of employing SEO and Affiliate Marketing, I achieved two sales in a week, resulting in total revenue of over $500. This is when I realized that I had discovered a clear path to success.

Since then, I’ve been exclusively concentrating on Affiliate SEO. The ability to produce assets that function even if you’re not is a tremendous force! I’m focusing on the creation of more and more digital assets, particularly for high-ticket items with large payouts.

If I had to start over, here’s exactly what I’d do:

Look for a micro niche that specializes in high-ticket items with little competition. Typically, it’s software that pays out recurring or a large amount all at once.

Concentrate on ONE traffic source at a time. Pinterest, YouTube, or SEO are the only ones I’d suggest experimenting with initially. Facebook Organic is also a good way to start generating traffic.

Avoid the competition by going after low-hanging fruit (long-tail keywords). You’ll do much better than competing against other top marketers if you can discover a blue ocean of opportunity that you can OWN.

12. James Fawcett – $30,000 in Three Months – Founder, MeenaPreneur.com

I began affiliate marketing in 2014 through a high-ticket program. Following being laid off from a government project that was shut down, I received a terminal redundancy package. I failed horribly for nearly three years until I discovered the affiliate marketing technique of list creation through offering low-ticket items and then constructing a value ladder on the end.

I tried MLM, direct sales, and other methods, but none of them felt right for me. For sure, building a list and sending them to low-ticket deals has been my most profitable and highest-revenue-generating approach. In the last three months, I’ve made over $30,000 in affiliate sales alone through my front end offer and close to $20,000 in backend offers.

My most significant breakthrough was learning to create high-converting lead generation and bridge pages. This allowed me to boost the conversion rate of my front-end offers significantly. I have a high ROI on advertising spend and operational expenses. On the Warriorplus platform, I’ve been able to offer numerous affiliate items for promotion. Sales pages that are successful in converting are readily available there, and no money is necessary to advertise any goods.

13. Spencer Mecham – Top ClickFunnels Super Affiliate – Founder, BuildaPreneur.com

It took me more than a year and a half to make my first thousand dollars as an affiliate. I spent that time trying everything I could think of and attempting anything I learned about. It took me more than one year to reach six figures. Affiliate marketing is difficult, in my opinion. There are several moving parts to integrate in order for it to function properly. If someone tells you otherwise, they’re probably trying to sell you something.

“I am certain that I’ve been successful as an affiliate marketer because I have the ability to keep trying when things don’t go my way. Many many attempts at various things didn’t work, and then when one thing did succeed, I committed fully.”

14. Dom Bavaro – Tik Tok Affiliate Marketing Success – Supreme Leader, TheDadaPreneu

My affiliate marketing tale began in July 2017, with a YouTube Ad. I was greeted at the entrance of a large house in Las Vegas by someone who lived in a larger home. He went to his computer and “explained” how he could afford such things by clicking on the “affiliates” page at the bottom of big-name websites. After attending a well-delivered Webinar, I bought the $2000 course that did nothing for me.

I came across Buildapreneur on YouTube and binge-watched Spencer’s videos. Although I found Spencer to be a more relatable and genuine individual, I was hesitant to invest $897 in his course. After two years of struggling, floundering, and making $5 and $10 sales here and there, but nothing substantial, I gave up. Mostly just bleeding money…

In January of 2020, I decided to spend in Spencer’s Course, and it immediately delivered me with the first modest wins that I was searching for. It was possible to run little Google Ad campaigns for competitive phrases, and the money started coming in. I knew it would take time to grow, but I wanted quicker results.

In January 2020, I discovered some people on TikTok who were killing it promoting Legendary Marketer. I found out that to advertise Legendary, you must first complete their 15-Day challenge, so I enrolled ironically just to breeze through it and earn my link. What was in there surprised me, and I invested $2500 in the plans….

In April, I grabbed my affiliate link and recorded everything I learnt from Legendary on TikTok. They taught me how to run Facebook Ads profitably in non-financial niches. In order to learn more about what I was doing, I gave simple information (you’re only allowed a minute per post) in my posts and directed individuals to the URL located in my profile (linked to Legendary). Every day, I posted three times a day, every day, and actually showed people how to create an affiliate funnel and get it to convert using a series of TikToks.

Over the next several years, I was able to use the platform as a springboard to continue growing my YouTube channel with both views and followers. This resulted in me gaining close to 7k followers in my first 45 days and now having a following of over 10 people every day passively. Because Legendary has such a large ticket offer (and some people took advantage of it), I earned $2500 in commissions 100% organically within my first 45 days on TikTok.

We hope these Affiliate Marketing Success Storiess have helped you see that affiliate marketing is a viable way to make money and has given you some ideas on how to make affiliate marketing work for your business. Which story was your favorite? Let us know!

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